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ProductIn beta testingProject 04 / 07

Studio

The tool I run my design practice on, from the first enquiry to the handover. Proposals are presented live in the meeting, and the client gets their own page to follow along.

At a glance

  • The process is data, not code
  • One thing at a time
  • The client page is an echo, not the main act

Visit Studio

The question

Project tools are built for tracking tasks, not for running a design engagement. What would a workspace look like if it followed the actual process: understand the problem first, price the outcome, present the options in person, then deliver and hand over cleanly?

What I built

A single-operator workspace with two modes. Business holds leads, proposals, clients, agreements and money, and opens on a short list of the few things that need a decision today. Work is for delivery: projects, tasks, time against estimates and a forecast of when the work will likely be done.

Every proposal can be presented as a full-screen deck in the meeting, with two or three deliberately different options side by side. The same proposal lives on a private client page, where the client can see progress, choose an option, sign the agreement and approve rounds without an account.

Inside

How it looks in use.

Role
Sole designer, developer and owner
Built with
Next.js, Drizzle, Postgres
Runs
On my own server, behind a sign-in
Status
In beta testing
Presenting a proposal: the problem, the options one by one, then all of them side by side.
The Business overview: money owed, projects by stage and the three things to decide first.
The Business overview: money owed, projects by stage and the three things to decide first.
A proposal presented in the meeting, one option per slide.
A proposal presented in the meeting, one option per slide.
The same proposal on the client's private page.
The same proposal on the client's private page.
Proposals waiting to be presented, each one a click away from the deck.
Proposals waiting to be presented, each one a click away from the deck.
Work mode: a project's tasks, time logged and likely finish date.
Work mode: a project's tasks, time logged and likely finish date.

Up close

The details that carry it.

Money at a glance
Money at a glanceWhat is owed, what is late and how many projects need me, before anything else.
Options side by side
Options side by sideEach proposal ends with its options next to each other, deliberately different in size.
The client's copy
The client's copyThe client page repeats the options with what each is best for and what it trades off.
An honest forecast
An honest forecastWork mode compares the due date with when the work will likely be done, and says what to do about it.

Decisions that mattered

  • The process is data, not codeStages, gates and warnings live in one config file and are checked on the server at every save, so making the process stricter or looser is an edit, not a rewrite.
  • One thing at a timeThe first version showed everything and felt intimidating. The overview now leads with the next decision in plain words, with the details one tap away.
  • The client page is an echo, not the main actProposals are made to be talked through in the room. The link the client gets afterwards repeats what was shown, and choosing online is optional.

What I learned

Building a tool for my own work forced me to name my process. Every rule I wrote into the config was a habit I had to decide I really believed in.

Project notes

This project is in beta testing, open to invited testers. It keeps changing as I use it and learn from the people who do.

Something similar in mind?

Most of these started as a question I couldn't let go of. If you have one too, let's talk.

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